Modern warfare and law enforcement are characterized by an increasing need for up-to-date situational awareness. To track down, or to protect against, criminals, paramilitary forces or terrorists, law enforcement personnel and soldiers often have an immediate need for information about what is around the next corner or over the hill.
Hostile forces frequently hide themselves from view or exploit the local terrain to gain tactical advantage or escape from pursuers. In the presence of hostile forces, a simple brick wall, barbed wire fence, a body of water, buildings or even a large open area can be an insurmountable obstacle when time is of the essence and tactical resources are unavailable. An active or undetected threat can make the situation dangerous.
Visible indications, noises or predictable actions can reveal friendly forces and put them at risk. Stealth and surprise, however, are important elements that can give a tactical advantage. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is an aircraft with no pilot on board. UAVs can be remote controlled aircraft (e.g. flown by a pilot at a ground control station) or can fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic automation systems. An UAV may also be referred to as a drone. UAVs equipped with video cameras that transmit back live pictures allow their operator to perform surveillance tasks and gather information from a safe position without exposing themselves.
Traditionally an UAV is operated by a joystick. Most joysticks are two-dimensional, having two axes of movement (similar to a mouse), but one and three-dimensional joysticks do exist. A joystick is generally configured so that moving the stick left or right signals movement along the X axis, and moving it forward (up) or back (down) signals movement along the Y axis. In joysticks that are configured for three-dimensional movement, twisting the stick left (counter-clockwise) or right (clockwise) signals movement along the Z axis. These three axes—X, Y, and Z—are, in relation to an aircraft, roll, pitch, and yaw.
A traditional joystick has a joint connected to a base, where the movements of the joystick relative to the base impact the movements of the aircraft correspondingly. The position of the joystick gives the operator feedback of the current control signal impact on the aircraft.
However, small drones adjusted to be controlled by operational personnel in the fields will typically be stored in UAV kits with limited space, and a traditional joystick with a joint would not be applicable because it would require too much space and the joint would be a weak point exposed to damages when operated in the field. For being operated properly, the base of a traditional joystick should be placed horizontally and stationary, which would not be applicable for a portable remote operating in the field. A one-hand joystick would in this case be more applicable with buttons on the joystick head with pairs of buttons controlling the forward/backward speed (pitch), left/right speed (roll) and left/right rotation (yaw) respectively. However, the spatial position of the joystick would in this case not give feedback to the operator about current commended speed. Thus, there is need for a feedback system for controlling an UAV not requiring a joint being independent of the spatial position of the joystick.